Final answer:
The oily cream used for protection during hair relaxing is a type of moisturizer, particularly as a semi-solid emulsion that can either be oil-in-water or water-in-oil, ensuring safety and care for the skin and scalp.
Step-by-step explanation:
The oily cream used to protect the skin and scalp during hair relaxing is essentially a type of moisturizer. Moisturizers serve the dual purpose of protecting the skin as well as repairing damage that might already be done to it. These creams are generally semi-solid emulsions that combine oil and water to create a protective barrier over the skin.
There are two main types of these creams: oil-in-water (O/W) and water-in-oil (W/O). The oil-in-water type has a pleasing foam, ease of rinsing, minimal skin and eye irritation, thick or creamy feeling, pleasant fragrance, low toxicity, good biodegradability, and slight acidity which is better for the hair because it has no damage to hair and can even help with the repair of damage already done to hair. The water-in-oil type, while a bit harder to wash off, is more moisturizing and forms an oily barrier which significantly reduces water loss from the stratum corneum.
In the context of hair relaxing, these moisturizers often contain additional ingredients like water, oil, emulsifiers, and thickening agents to ensure that the scalp is adequately protected from the harsh chemicals in the relaxing agents.
The sebaceous gland in our skin normally produces sebum, another oily substance that naturally waterproofs and lubricates the skin and hair. When undergoing a chemical hair relaxing treatment, an artificial barrier similar to sebum may be necessary to provide extra protection and that is where these specially formulated creams come into play.